Like this:

Every once in a while Ryan and I try to go out to Vancouver Island to help his friends with their farm. It takes a while to get there, what with the ferry and all, but it is always well worth the trip. Visiting good friends always is.

They are currently finishing up renovations on a gorgeous old house. They had to gut it, repair the outside, and replace most of the inside, but it was definitely worth saving. It has been a very long and arduous process, and it’s quite incredible how much it has been transformed. And after two and a half years, they are finally ready to start moving in.

I swear I wasn’t slacking.

The porch was completely redone, and that’s where we worked.

Inside the house there’s a treat not easily found: a great hall with arcing wooden beams that loom over nine foot windows and an enormous fireplace. It was built back in the 1800s, and then left to rot for many years, but they were able to save and restore it.

The ceiling of the great hall – now with lights!

It’s also the venue of our upcoming wedding.

I’m incredibly excited. It’s gorgeous – photos cannot do it justice. It’s also very messy right now, since the floor and windows still need to be put in, but it’s getting there.

The Joiner and the Engineer, hard at work.

For our last visit we helped them build a bathroom vanity. And by ‘we’ I mean Ryan built it, and I, lacking any and all woodworking knowledge, got relegated to sanding duty.

Newbie duty.

But I got to hang out at a beautiful farm with incredibly wonderful people. So I’m really not complaining.

My fiancé and I got a kitten! We’ve always wanted a black cat. They’re like fuzzballs with eyes.

This is Jerry! Also toe beans.

Ryan has had pets before, but this is my first one. My mom is quite allergic to both cats and dogs, so we couldn’t get one when I was younger. I got fish, but it wasn’t quite the same. So I promised myself that when I grew up and moved out I would get a pet. And here I am! My first Kitten! Who is, even as I type this, batting at my fingers because they’re moving.

He likes to sit on my shoulder.

Jerry is already very, very loved. Claws and all.

What’s your experience with pets? Your favourite moments? Do’s and Don’ts? I would love to hear from you all!